Written By Danny McLean (@kingdanny__)

Name: Erica Abi Wright aka Erykah Badu

Foundation: B.L.I.N.D. (Beautiful Love Incorporated Non Profit Development)

The Grammy winning soul singer Erykah Badu has worked hard to provide positive cultural change in inner cities since 2003. B.L.I.N.D. was created to provide development in underprivileged communities for the youth by using music, dance, theater, and visual arts. What makes her different from most or some celebrities is the fact that she is heavly involved in her foundation. Every philanthropic pursuit by B.L.I.N.D. has feedback from Ms. Badu herself.

Since a decade ago, B.L.I.N.D has organized after-school outreach programs, renovated city landmarks, and Badu has used her influence to encourage other celebrities to volunteer time/talent towards giving back to the community. This year, the organization will offer free bootcamps which will be focused on teaching the art of music production and DJ skills to Dallas Inner City Youth.

Erykah Badu and Mos Def headlined “You’re Causing Quite A Disturbance” Concert at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) last weekend. The show was only supposed to go on Saturday but when the demand was so high and tickets sold out so quick, BAM quickly requested for Erykah and company to add a day. Before her stunning performance (where Badu’s wardrobe resembled Baron Samedi), BAM announced Badu was willing to give all proceeds from the second show on Sunday to the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra (at BAM) and its arts education department.

We salute Erykah Badu for her selfless acts in furthering musical experiences for people of all ages at BAM. Check out footage from the performance below. To find out more on B.L.I.N.D., visit www.beautifullove.org